Time is flying!!!

Okay so I've been out of the e-world for two weeks... aside from the occasional facebook chat or e-mail that is!  Mexico was very relaxing, we were there for a full 6 days and then 2 days of 1/2 day traveling... that's the worst I must say is just all the flying that exhausts you.  Our condo was beautiful it was a 3 bedroom 4 bathroom with a full kitchen, living room w/tv & dvd player, 3 balconies, outdoor shower, outdoor dipping pool (size of a hot tub) and it had a hammock, two lounge chairs and a full outdoor patio dining set!  It was the size of a house, it was so wonderful.  The only bummer was like most of the unique, hillside hotels there are no elevators!  This preggo gal here walked up and down the stairway (100 steps!!!) 2-4 times a day.  Talk about burning some major calories haha!

We ate at a few really good places, my goal was to find the best Tortilla Soup -- but I still say the one in the What to Eat/Eating Well pregnancy book is by far the best!  Go figure.  One day Ryan bought me and my mom these really pretty shell necklaces... they almost resembled banana chips!  My mom's is solid black and I got a purple one and then a multi-color one.  I love it!!! That same day Ryan got totally wasted -- his "once a year blackout" -- he puked 4 times within probably 1-1.5 hours and kept saying "i'm fine, really i'm fine" -- he doesn't even recall a moment of all this, LOL.  It was funny afterward to me because I know if I hadn't been pregnant I probably would have been in those same shoes, but I felt bad because no one likes getting that drunk in public or having the aftermath.  I was surprised though he didn't even have a hangover!  Lucky Duck.

My belly has started getting bigger, but no official bump yet.  I didn't take many pictures and only have 1 (not so good) photo of myself with my family... blah.  Oh well, the beautiful sunset photo's will have to do for the baby album instead.  One night last week my belly button was literally just HURTING so Ryan took me back to the condo and I realized my belly button was wanting to pop to an OUTTIE, what the heck!  I can now pull back the sides of my belly button and "push" it out... its kind of creepy.  Needless to say, I've retired the ol' belly button ring and going to let the piercing heal up... Ryan being the loving husband he is told me that post-baby (and post baby weight loss!) if I want to get it re-pierced he'd pay for me to do so. Aww.  Actually though it was such a juvenile thing of me (I was 18, in college and bored so a friend and I got piercings) and IMO I think it is kind of a sex symbol / "single" person kind of trademark... I'd rather just have a nice fit body post-baby and not try to look like some 'sexy mama'.

Today my MIL comes in to town, it should be fun... I plan to take her to Babies R Us and show her the few things we are going to get for baby once we're in the house.  We decided we're going to use the pack 'n play as a bassinet in our bedroom for awhile and get a crib later on -- mostly due to finances but also because everyone has been telling us that most babies don't sleep in their cribs until they're a few months old.  Plus we figure it'll be summer time and we'll probably be downstairs most of the time or outside so it'll make sense to have something more portable to use rather than buying a bassinet and a crib or what not.

TSO

Over the weekend we drove to Birmingham and saw the 3:00pm show for Trans Siberian Orchestra!!  It was our first time going and I bought tickets on RazorGator for floor seats in the 2nd row!!!  And we were fortunate to have end seats, which is nice because those seats were a little small.

The show was INCREDIBLE... I can't wait to see them again!  We were so close you could read their lips when they mouthed something, like one rocker yelled out "Sweeeeeet" and the guitar players ran across the stage and at one point were like 5 feet in front of us!!! The fiddler was only 24 years old and was amazing, she ran around the floor to perform at the back of the stadium and even stopped for a picture for one lucky aisle seat person!  They had a narrator telling the story of Christmas that themed well with the songs... at one point he said "Snow" and it started "Snowing" --- bubbles, but it looked like snow across the floor seats and was just incredible!!! They had these cat walks that came out of the ceiling and they were able to run down them to see the audience in the back of the place, it was just real cool.  They played amazing songs I caught a bunch on film and some amazing pics!!!


If you've never been -- you HAVE to go, but get seats close to the stage!!!!

feeling more filled out!

I feel so much better this week.  I look more filled out, my skin is stretching (and itchy!!!) but when I look in the mirror I just feel better about myself.  Last Friday Ryan told me my "neck feels thinner" -- umm, thanks?  I do feel like even my arms are toned up but I don't know how!?  My belly is growing but it's starting to look more like a pregnant belly, not just flubber.  I have been feeling baby kick 2-3 times a day for the past week, my nurse said it's possible and you can't mistake these jabs/pokes!!! My nausea has calmed down quite a bit, I think I'll just go back to my b-natal lollipop's and lozenges as well as tums.  I'm really nervous to go to Mexico next week with the whole symptom train but at least it's calmed down a lot.  We'll see how our first major flight - Atlanta to Seattle - goes... ugh.  Cooper is laying in the chair next to me, sound asleep, I'm going to miss him as much as he annoys the heck out of me!!!  I've been craving cereal a lot more lately -- and MILK!!!! Today I had a big bowl of cheerios w/frozen berries.  I woke up with a migraine at 5am but the Tylenol has almost kicked it to the curb.  My other cravings have been for Jalapeno chips and green chicken curry, but only from the Thai place back home in WA =[ ...no one here makes it the same or as authentic tasting.  I'm going to need to make a trip back to WA for a week solely for a food tasting at all my favorite hang outs.  Anyways, here is my 15 weeks photo... I have to learn to update this more often but I'm just so excited with going to Mexico, then a friend visiting with her three boys & then my mother in law coming to down a few days after that!!!  Exciting!!!!

Photo!

 

I'm up 9 pounds total in 10 weeks (since finding out I was pregnant) ...gained 2 this past week, let's just blame it on the milk cravings ~ I drink 2-3 large glasses a day!!! Definitely seeing growth, guess I'll be shopping this weekend for cozier pants... can't live in sweats forever!  Oh yah and I can't even hold that in... I tried. =\

Woo Hoo 14 Weeks!!

Yesss... I made it to 14 weeks, such an accomplishment!  Time really has been flying since the ultrasound 4 weeks ago!  We have an appointment tomorrow and *fingers crossed* hope that we get to hear the heartbeat.  I know it'll probably be a simple routine check-up: check my weight, pee test, blood pressure, check my symptoms, etc... hopefully we can schedule our 20 week gender ultrasound!!! 

I'll have to take a belly pic today, I neglected last week with it being Thanksgiving!! 


I've been bargain shopping lately and don't it feel good!!!  Let's see to start I had a $10 Victoria Secret "Rewards" Gift Card so I used that plus got Free Shipping (on $50+) and a Free Limited Edition Panty ($7 value!) ...along with 4 tank tops that were $7.99ea, reg $14.50 [savings of $26.04 total] and then with my growing belly I got a pair of Signature Sweat Pants for $25.00, reg $39.50 [savings of $14.50] so basically I saved a total of about $47.54... and then I got $10.00 off with the gift card, so I saved $57.54 ~ my total with taxes came to $52!  Not Bad!!!

Then I went to use an Eversave Coupon Code I had to redeem them for these custom mini purses.  I got my MIL and my mom each one... they have custom fabric on the outside and satin inside even the zipper color was customizable!  The unfortunate is that they take 7-14 days :(  Oh Well!  They only cost me $10 for shipping.  You see, on Eversave I had $20 savings from a friend joining.  Then they had a $4 discount code for Black Friday.  So I got the 'save' for free and the purses came to $52 (the total value of the save before discount)... woo hoo!  Free Gifts!!!

Another deal I got yesterday was on OneKingsLane ~ I got baby their first toy, but of course it says recommended age 2+... oops!  It's a peg/hammer set... you know where baby can take out frustration and bang on the pegs to go through the holes hahaha!  It was $7 ...I had a free $15 credit from joining in September.  Shipping was $7.95 so I got it free plus had 5 cents left over!!!

Then just now I signed my mom up for Health Magazine for free!  I had a $5 gift card code and the 10mo subscription was... $5!!! I paid nothing out of pocket, it's regularly $39.90 if you bought it on news stands!!! $34.90 savings... PLUS I bought this from a link with MyPoints.com ~ so I got 500 points (equivalent to almost $5) back!!! So it was like getting a free magazine PLUS being paid!!! Woot.

Ohh and then lastly ya'll know I'm building up my DVD collection... I got Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation for Ryan and my trip in 2 weeks... I got it on borders.com with a 33% discount code ~ then had a 10% bonus for being a plus member.  SO I got the movie for 43% off (about $10 with taxes, free shipping) ...the DVD alone on Borders is $15.99!

Beauty

I now sell Avon!!!!  After nearly three very fun, successful years in selling Mark. (a division of Avon) I have decided to branch out and sell the whole line ~ everything from beauty to men to home to children to skincare to perfume!  I am so happy to be a part of the Avon Family!!!

Shop my online store today, don't forget to use promo code Free2010 at check out to get free shipping on ANY purchase!!!  Be sure to bookmark my link...

www.youravon.com/sramage

Lost

Hmm, this is odd.  I actually lost weight between yesterday and today.  I know I felt skinnier so I just thought I'd weigh myself... I lost about 2 pounds making me only 5 pounds higher than I was at week 4 (on 9/24!) Weird.  I'll take it though!  I'm thinking it could have to do with my fruit cravings back in full force like they were in the early part of the 1st TM.  I bought my love, frozen cherries... they're filling for me.  I also have been eating cereal in the AM and salads for lunch... so that's probably why I lost.  I'm sure I'll make it back on Thanksgiving!  Ha Ha.

Well I got some more bargains yesterday!  I saw that Amazon has black friday deals already... and they had DVD's for $3.99+!  I got The Blind Side, The Hangover and Slumdog Millionaire for $12.97 with 2day free shipping & no taxes!! We can finally start our dvd collection without going broke!!! I hope they have more selection today... I also got the new Jim Carey Christmas Carol dvd on Borders.com and saved about $10 off the $22 list price... which made me pretty happy!  I also got free shipping on that!

Just a little bragging rights...

So don't have much to comment on about the pregnancy, it's going well... my nausea has been subsiding but I've noticed more frequent headaches and cravings towards fruits & cereal rather than my previous craving of salts.  I'm eager for Thanksgiving -- we ordered a small turkey on the Honey Baked Ham Co website and picked up at Publix the rest... going to make orange zest cranberry sauce, mandarin green beans, biscuits, strawberry apple balsamic green salad, and for dessert we got a pumpkin pecan streusel pie!  Yum.

This past week I've been cashing in reward points from various websites I use.  It'll go towards buying ourselves some Christmas gifts since we don't usually buy anything. 

From InboxDollars, which sends me daily emails that I earn cash on & I get money for shopping on their websites, I earned a check for $55.87!

From MyPoints, which is basically the same as Inbox Dollars, I cashed in and got us a $10.00 Red Robin gift card

From my Mark points I earned through selling I cashed in and got us a PS3 NCAA 11 Football video game ($50-$60 value!)

And just now I ordered on Borders.com with my borders bucks [i had $5 and then they gave me another $10 free!] I ordered Toy Story 3 and it only cost me $8.56 with tax and shipping!  That was a $15.00 [+/- tax] savings!

So in just the past 2 weeks I've earned about $140 in freebies!

28 to go!

Baby is now the size of a lime as I'm 12 weeks today!  Only 28 more to go and 8 more til we find out the sex!!! I can't hold my tummy in for the life of me, so I give up even trying.  My pants (the low rise ones) still fit perfectly fine and in the past 8 weeks I've only gained 7lbs... I can really feel baby/pressure in my pubic bone -- it feels like pushing on a tight muscle, so cool!  I haven't had any pains except at night I get a back ache (especially around my neck) and hips start to tingle and ache a little... other than that I'm just peachy!

we've agreed!

on a boy's name!!!

If this is a boy (and I can't help it, I've had this motherly intuition that it is... watch me be wrong, lol!) we're going to name him Keaton Alexander Ramage. 

I am still really pushing on Layla Cassidy for a girl, but so many people are telling us that using Ryan's name as a girl's middle name would be really pretty.  I kinda like Cassidy Ryan for a girl, but I am really firm on Layla I just think it's unique and fun and I can picture her as "Grandma Layla" (please tell me I'm not alone on envisioning my babies as grandparents, I want a name that fits well through the ages).

I would really love... to sleep!

Oh man I'd love to just lay on the couch & sleep all day!  Last night we let Cooper sleep in bed with us... what was I thinking?  I got hardly any sleep!!! He jumped off the bed and was crying to get back up so I (stupidly) picked him up and put him back in bed... I gotta stop doing this, he's well over 20lbs and the doctor doesn't want me lifting him to begin with!  I think I may have caused a light owie in my pelvic area... it almost feels like a pulled muscle but at the same time I know baby is the size of a plum working up to a lime this week!!! That could cause pulling & straining sensations too... they almost remind me of period cramps, but nowhere near as bad!

I've been contemplating the past few weeks whether or not to remove my belly button ring for good.  The pro's are no more needing to buy new belly rings every so often (anyone else find them overpriced??) and the con is it was my first proclamation of freedom!  My roomie in college and I had them done our freshman year (7yrs ago) ...she removed hers after having 2 kids and now I'm torn.  I know I could always get it done again, but do I want piercings while having kiddos?  Oh the choices in life we make...

So I really hate the fading on my highlights but am too paranoid to get them done -- I had my hair done before I miscarried, part of me just "wonders" if that played a role.  We'll never know of course.  I found out that Manic Panic is a veggie dye so it's totally safe to use... debating on making my mom do it when I come up before Mexico or having Ryan turn on his female switch and doing it for me!  LoL... they have a pretty bright red color that I love, love, LOVE.  And it's only like $10 -- much cheaper than the salon!  As far as my length, I think I'm just going to let it grow until baby is here... or maybe pamper myself just before baby arrives.  I can tell you I'm looking forward to a massage!!!!

My symptoms have been pretty good so far... no big cravings but I have been avoiding meats like sausage *puke*, steaks and burgers *double puke* or plain old salads!  I don't know why, but salads just sound disgusting lately.  I have been into fruit though -- found a good orange/mango fruit salad recipe in my cookbook and put some pomegranate vinegar on it... O-M-G I found my new favorite food!!! I've always really been into soups, my theory is just that they go down easily but I wonder if it's still from my salt craving??  I'm not sure.  I have been noticing my belly bumping out... nothing drastic, but I can't hold it in and it's not bloating at this late in the game!

11/11 = 11!

Holy cow I'm already at 11 weeks here on November 11th!  Happy Veterans Day to my wonderful husband [he served 6 years in the Army] and to our close friend Kevin who is currently serving in Afghanistan! 

I weighed myself today and gasped, I definitely need to do my pilates & a nice long walk today... I've felt really congested in my belly of unhealthy foods.  Ryan ordered pizza last night (man I forget how expensive it gets!) and so I had some Hawaiian pizza... okay more like one slice before feeling ultra sick.  I started having bad gassy pains and indigestion and that lasted all night long!  Cooper took up the whole bed, I think I'd have had more room if I slept in a casket!!  He needs to start sleeping in his crate, I can't handle it anymore.  I woke up to go pee at 5am... ahhh such a relief, lol!  Woke up at 7am and still just felt crappy.  Took a Zofran because my nausea was horrendous today.  I couldn't even look in the fridge without gagging.  Ended up making scrambled eggs w/cheese, orange juice, hot tea & an english muffin w/jam... i ate 1 slice of the muffin, about half the eggs and most the OJ.  My wonderful "stomach" is back.

We submitted our loan paperwork to the underwriter last night... fingers crossed that they accept it and process it so we can get our construction started!!! We had to do a letter of explanation on a few derogatory accounts but our loan officer said it was very good and submitted it without needing editing... we should know as early as Friday but as late as Monday if it went through.  If it did construction would begin around Dec 1 and finish roughly February 10th... could be move-in ready as early as March 1 with all the paperwork, us packing/moving, etc.  Our lease here is up April 30 so that would be great to move in the house in March too, then we have time to pay off this place (less due the closer to our lease ending) and slowly move since I won't be able to lift much... the only bummer about moving in March is that I probably wouldn't be able to fly home for a baby shower... I've been looking at the prices and found a friend willing to fly with me, since Ryan will be consumed with work stuff.  Who knows I guess a baby shower by mail is better than nothing. 

Here is my updated picture... I feel like I'm huge... my jeans still fit, but after I eat my tummy gets real hard and stretched out like I'm 7mo pregnant.  I wish I could explain it better!! It is what it is... oh and the only thing I can think of with my weight gain is that I haven't had morning sickness... a lot of the girls I've talked to that did have morning sickness lost a ton then gained like 10 pounds back... so because I'm not losing any, is that why I'm gaining anyways???

Time Savings, grr!

This whole fall back daylight savings has me so thrown off.  Cooper wakes up early thinking it's potty time and lately I haven't been sleeping in general!  Woke up to pee twice last night and woke up probably 8 times after that... ugh. 

Over the weekend Ryan took me to Books A Million and we got about $60 in pregnancy items -again.  I got this real cute pregnancy journal that I put babies first pics in so that they don't get lost or damaged.  I started filling it out month by month too, I feel weird knowing I'm almost 11 weeks - so almost out of the 3 month zone!  I don't feel like it yet... but I'm sure once 8 months comes I'll be like "okay im tired of this crap now!".

I also got that What To Expect/Eating Well book... I wanted something with healthy recipes after talking to a friend of my brother who had her baby in July.  She stayed amazing while pregnant, literally ALL belly.  I envy her, so I got tips from her on what to do -- she kept healthy snacks (dried fruits, cut veggies, string cheese, organic crackers) on hand so when she had a craving, she reached for those instead.  Too bad Halloween came first!  I'm up almost 7 pounds now, miserable!  My doctor wants me to gain 30-35 max.  My mom would like me to peak at 30 lol... I guess I'll be doing a 2-3 mile walk today with leslie sansone (of course toned down so I don't hurt myself).  I wish I had a treadmill it would make it a lot easier, it's just too cold right now (30 when I woke up at 7am!) and I'm a crybaby.  Maybe some store will feature one real cheap on Cyber Monday :)

Anyways in the book the recipes looked incredible.  Last night I made the Mexican Tortilla Soup, it was delicious!  It had the right amount of spice (instead of the plain diced tomatoes I used spicy chile tomatoes) and Ryan had two bowls of it!  It made 4 servings and I had about 1 bowl left that I saved for lunch today.  Then today for breakfast I made a Citrus Berry Blast smoothie from the book, it has calcium fortified OJ, white grape juice, perrrier sparkling water and I used mixed frozen berries instead of just blueberries.  I also added in a heaping teaspoon of flax seed for that extra OOMPH.  It's so refreshing, a great way to start my morning.

Only 25 more days until I go back to the OB... but you know what that means?  I have to get FIVE vials of blood drawn before then!  Ughhhh.... they always have a heck of a time with just ONE and last time they took two and I felt so woozy after that.  This time I'm making Ryan go in with me so he can see the crap I go through, I think we'll go to the lab near us instead though, hopefully they are better.  I think I'll go on a liquid fast or something to make it go faster, any tips?  LoL no one can ever find my veins, no matter how hydrated I am... last time I peed twice while there I was so full of water.
 

Brrr!

Well it's official, I'm experiencing freezing temp's for the first time in 'Bama!  Today's low was 27, woke up to our place being 68 and cranked that heat on to 71!  Yesterday I had to go out to Kohl's (which FYI was a zoo!) and get some long sleeve crew neck top's to keep warm... I guess I got rid of all my other ones when we moved cus I can't find them anywhere! 

Yesterday I addressed all the pregnancy announcements and now just need to get stamps, I think I'll order some festive ones online since the bank only has the Forever stamps.  I also ordered some announcements for friends that I didn't want to spend a fortune on (these cards were $2/each!) and I had a code for a discount so I got 20 for friends for only $7 lol... oh and I ordered wallet size pics of the ultrasound for family who may not be able to get online to see the pics, like grandparents.

We bought a baby name book yesterday and have been toying with it... I really liked Tayten/Tayte but Ryan likes Liam, which I do too but I'm wondering if it's still really popular like Hayden was a few years ago?  Liam is Gaelic/Scottish for "Determined Guardian" and I want the middle name to be Alexander after my great-grandfather who passed away at an early age.  Alexander's family was from Scotland and a big chunk of my heritage is, so I think it's a good name to keep in the family.  Ryan's name is also Gaelic/Scottish for Little King and our last name is Ramage which is Scottish as well!  It means "A Savage or Unpredictable Individual" so I think going with a scottish name for our boy is a great starting point. 

As for our girl, Layla Cassidy... Layla is Arabic for "Dark Beauty" (as in dark features... since we both have dark hair, and our girl will be OF course beautiful, I think it's fitting).  Cassidy is Gaelic/American for "Clever" or "Curly Head".  Well, neither of us will have curly hair but I just love the name! 

I know it seems weird to want to think of a name 100% so early on, but when you've been trying for a baby I think it makes you want to pick a name sooner than later. 

I'm also starting to work on our baby registry, slowly of course!! After hearing how awful Babies R Us is with return policy and receipts I'm going to stick to diapers.com ~ plus they offer 1 yr return on any items, which will be good if we have left over diapers in the wrong sizes or get a bunch of boy stuff and have a girl instead.  Plus, our baby shower will likely be "by mail" since I can't afford to go home before 3rd Trimester and so regardless everyone will be shopping online.

Names!!!

I put a names poll up for each sex ---->

Go Vote, Please!

Baby!!!

 Backside of baby, you can see the vertebrates in its back, tiny ear, the arms & umbilical cord!

 here's the 2nd shot of the baby, back to us

 3rd 4D shot is a little more zoomed out, but its so cute!

 Baby kept his back to us but he sure was a kickin' when the video was going!

Baby!!!

Heartbeat: 174BPM :)

Bedding

I decided I'm going to make my own crib bedding -- gives me something to do during the day, I'll feel accomplished (plus it'll be unique) and it's about 75% cheaper!

I know what pattern I like, but I am so torn on which color... any suggestions? 

Brown, Purple/Blue, or Aqua.

Baby Names!

Well, I'm only going to be 10 weeks tomorrow but everyone suggests I start looking into names now, keeping a list and updating it every so often... here's the baby names I like so far:

Girls: Lilah Cassidy, Sawyer Alexis, Camryn Alexis, Camryn Faith, Lilah Faith, Sienna Lillie...

Boys: Noah Alexander, Cameron Jack, Cameron James, Taylor Jack, Micah Alexander, Jackson Rylan...

I like unique, newer names mixed with some older names (ie: lilah, micah & noah being older ~ camryn, cassidy, jackson being newer).

been awhile...

First off, here is our pregnancy announcement website for The Bump:  ramage.ourbabychannel.com  for anyone wanting to check it out.  We'll be using that to keep in touch with family & friends that we don't link to this blog.

I had a very eventful past week, so I haven't been online very much - or for very long.  My parents came into town and we were very active... we went to the space museum, caverns and even the Talladega Nascar race!  Which, to my surprise, was fun... but it really wore me out, we went to bed at about 8pm last night I was so tired!!! Unfortunately I did end up waking up pretty much every 3hrs to go pee, which is tiring! 

Some family friends came down from Cincinnati to visit my parents and to say hi... they gave us tons of chocolate candy for Halloween AND surprised us with baby's first toy... a bambi beanie baby/stuffed animal!  Cooper, our dog, kept trying to grab it so I had to put it on our dresser.  It was so thoughtful and random, it's great to have good people in your life!  

Two days until the BIG ultrasound!!!!

Another Day Down...

So this weekend wasn't too bad on the sick level... we went to Walmart instead of Publix for our groceries this week (we just seem to get a better value sometimes at Walmart) and wow we came home with $120 in food (of course a lot of that chunk is from our milk, $3.50/gallon and we usually get 2-3) and I swear this could last us 3 weeks easily... I was so happy by how much we got, it's insane.  And it's all foods I know I can eat -- I've really revolted into my childhood and craving ravioli, velveeta, chicken noodle soup, etc.  Last night Ryan made us steak and it was sooo good, I just wish I could have eaten more than 2 slices! LoL :]


Today I've got Cooper at the groomer -- he was soooo shaggy, I should have taken a 'before' photo.  He's going to be nice and shaved, pink belly, and 'naked'... he's so funny after he gets groomed, he know how pretty he is!!! :]

Today has been pretty good if I just could have had an appetite -- grazed on cheeto puffs, had a cup of campbells soup to go, 1 claussen pickle and this morning I had Orange Juice and 2 small chocolate donuts... I know it sounds like total junk food but I don't feel sick if I just eat what sounds good... my pants have started feeling tighter and I can't hold my tummy in like I used too, I'm eager to see if I'll be carrying high or low or just sorta in the middle.  Eeks!

So ready for thanksgiving...

because today I am craving a Cranberry Turkey Sandwich like none other... not regular deli turkey though, warm freshly baked turkey!!! And a nice side of mashed taters and gravy.... ohhh my!!! We went to Marshalls today and got some fun stuff, we hadn't gone shopping in forever, mostly because we cut back our expenses and now that we're debt free (minus my car) we felt we could spoil ourselves.  We got a bunch of different knick knacks... I got a pretty wreath for the front door, some new hand towels on clearance, coffee for our friend overseas, a cookbook, ryan got a new wallet and mini/portable razor thingy... oh and we got new frying pans, something we'd been slacking on!!! We spend under $100 and I felt amazingly accomplished... I wanted to go to Steinmart but I was starving, so we went to Red Robin... what a waste, 8 bites later "I'm full, can I get a box?" ugh it's so embarrassing to go out and eat because I look like either I hate the food or I'm starving myself lol...

My worst pain lately are these ligament stretching cramps... every time I sneeze, my pelvis aches like a tightened muscle... 5 seconds later its gone, but it HURTS. 

32 left!

Here's our baby this week... the size of a RASPBERRY!  Two weeks to go until our 10 week ultrasound... they're goin to record it onto a CD for us and then we'll be able to share the images with everyone.. I can't wait to see what is growing in me!!! Or - how many! LoL, I saw a girl online yesterday in the same forum as me who is having QUAD'S - yes FOUR babies!!! Oh my... she says she did it w/o fertility treatments too... she better go play lotto with those odds!  I think I'd freak if we had 3 or 4 babies in me... of course I'd probably also be really sick which I'm not.  Fortunately for us multiples don't run on either side of our family tree so it'd be a slim shot of it happening to us... which is fine & dandy with me!!!

8 Weeks Photo!

As of today I've gained .6lbs since last week... a total of 4.6 pounds since 9/24 when I got my *BFP* (Big Fat Positive Test Result) ...not bad really, I blame it not on puking, since I haven't had that *knock on wood* but on having NO appetite at night... last night we ordered Donato's pizza, my favorite a Margherita!  I ate 2 bites of pizza, my whole salad and it took me an entire hour... then at about 8pm I munched on some potato chips (which gave me gas pains in bed, ughh) and had chocolate milk.  I actually "feel" thinner which is weird, maybe its because my stomach is so empty when I wake up.  I try though... I really try!

Fatigue

Wow I definitely got hit with the fatigue bug today... woke up at 5:30 to Ryan's alarm... went pee, crawled back into bed and couldn't really sleep much.  Woke up eventually at 7:30am, showered & walked Cooper, ate cheerios w/banana slices and a chocolate milk... and now it's just after 9:00am and I'm about to go crawl back into bed!!! I haven't felt this tired yet so it's really a weird feeling, I just feel like I got no sleep (which I did though!) ...sucky.

Last night our good friend Kevin deployed for a year in Afghanistan, so sad.  He was in our wedding and a long time friend of Ryan, they're basically like family to us.  It's hard to have someone you know so well being at war -- really makes you stop & appreciate the little things you have here at home.  I can only imagine how his wife is doing, managing 3 little boys (twin 6yr olds & a 10mo old) on her own... even when Ryan would leave me for a week on a business trip I'd be bored out of my mind and I admit... sad.  My hormones are a bit out of whack, so of course thinking harder about Kevin leaving had me a bit teary eyed last night...

I'm a bit bummed, I looked up the YMCA here and they do not offer a single prenatal work out class... no aerobics, pilates or even a walking group!  There is a prenatal yoga studio but *yawn* yoga really puts me to sleep... I enjoy pilates so much more.  So, I guess I'll be sticking to my DVDs unless I can find a friend or two who is pregnant and wants to start a walking group or something... I guess I can just walk the park with Ryan after work... some exercise is better than none!

17 Days

Only 17 more days until we get to see baby on the ultrasound machine!  I am so excited, I just countdown the days until week 8 then week 9... then we'll be at week 10!!! Our appointment is at 7:30am so by the time people on the west coast wake up and get to work we should have photo's and news to share!!!

This weekend was probably a 7 out of 10 for me... although I looked and felt good for the most part, things always seem to slow me down.  First, we planned to go up to Tennessee to get some pumpkins and go through a corn maze... just have some cheap October fun!  We were about go when suddenly I felt sick to my stomach... so instead we went to Walmart and got the fixin's to make homemade caramel apples... got to admit though, they turned out really good (and yummy!) ...I just hope Ryan or myself doesn't pull out any fillings or teeth, haha!

Yesterday I had my shortness of breath again, apparently because of baby I now have 10% more blood in my body now and so I realize the need for more breaths and although my heart feels like it's racing it's just beating faster than it was because of all the blood circulating in me.  It comes and goes but once it comes I have to sit down and take a breather... my pilates has been helping a lot with this, because there are breathing techniques with the stretching... also putting my hands over my head and straightening my back really helps too.  My Pregnancy Tea (by Traditional Medicinals) has also been a great help, I can have 4 cups a day and just sip on it through the day.  


Aside from that here's my latest cravings/aversions:

Cravings: Cheesy things (cheesy tots, cheese fries, cheeto's, cheese & crackers, cheesy pretzels, cheeseburgers)

Aversion: Beef (I can eat a burger, but just thinking of: fajita's, stir fry, pot roast, roast beef... makes me wanna hurl)

7 Weeks Photo!

I've gained 2 pounds in a week *eeks* but to be fair I did weigh myself after I pigged out on breakfast (hey, for once I actually felt good to eat breakfast -- don't hate!) ...I feel like I "look" thinner than I did at 6 weeks, but I am a bit picky with myself... I'll take 2 pounds over what (some) girls I've been hearing are gaining (5+ pounds, whoa nelly!)

so long pimples!

So as most of you all know I sell Mark Cosmetics and that I religiously use their skincare products -- and try to lure everyone else into the wonderful world of them!  Well I was slightly bummed when I realized my skin has changed with this pregnancy!  So long to the dry, dehydrated skin & hello to uneven skin tone!  I have been using our Calm Yourself face mask in the shower 3x a week (lovvve it!) and just today switched up to See Things Clearly moisturizer... for awhile the previous moisturizer I was using actually *BURNED* but not anymore... skin as smooth as a baby's! 

33 to go!

7 weeks down, 33 to go... this week our baby is the size of a blueberry!  Hard to imagine, isn't it?? The baby's legs are starting to grow, eyes & ears are becoming visible & bones are hardening!  Wow... and just 3 more weeks until we get to see baby on the ultrasound!!

I just got Cash Back for Shopping!!

Woohoo, I tried out this website called: Ebates in July and just got my first cash back for making purchases online -- for my Mark cosmetics, ebay, american eagle, Godiva, drugstore.com, CVS, etc!!!

Here's the email I got:

"Dear Ebates Shopper, Thank you for using Ebates every time you shop online. Congratulations, here is your Big Fat Payment! Please feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have about your payment or your Ebates account. Happy shopping! Sincerely, Ebates Customer Care"

Okay, Okay I know what you're thinking... "only $36.85?" but that is accumulated over 3 months and heck ebay only gets me about 3% cashback, it's not a lot... but it's something, when I'm already shopping online!  I know for baby I'll be doing a ton so I'll be able to get "paid" to shop for the baby gear, clothes, DIAPERS and more!!! If you're not a member you should join by clicking my link above (click on Ebates!) and you can earn $5 cashback (or towards an e-gift card) after your first purchase!!!

affordable happiness

Who knew that my $10 purchase at Walmart would give me such happiness with such a little price tag... when my hips, back and boobs all ache so much that they've pretty much kept me on the couch ALL DAY LONG :(

I also got my bella band (in white) today ...paid $20 on ebay for it [they retail $26+] and am in LOVE... as soon as I got it today I slipped it on with my jeans, unbuttoned the jeans though and folded it over slightly... WOW my pants aren't falling down, they fit comfortably and it really does look like an undershirt... I think I need these in more colors! Everyone be on the lookout for them in size 1 at a steal price!

oh joy

Well my clean streak of not vomiting ended last night... so sad.  I think it could've been from the car ride (we drove out to Lake Guntersville, about 120 miles roundtrip) but I'm also not sure 'cus we'd been home for awhile... needless to say my prenatal vitamin, top ramen & powerade all came up and I lost my appetite for the rest of the night... Today I've been living of gardetto (just the brown crunchy ones lol) and mott's fruit snacks... they are so yummy.  I think I'll try to do 2 segments of Pilates today... my yoga dvd did come too so maybe I'll give it a whirl. 

It's gonna be another hot day... around 90, possible record temps!  Eeks... gotta love it though.  Beats rain or cold weather... or snow, yuck.  Cooper has been pretty good, not as clingy as before... just sleeping and peeking whenever he hears me eat food. 

I must say I feel pretty lucky to have Ryan though... when I was puking he got me a towel and (finally?) understands that I may look okay but inside I feel miserable... he made me some cookies and reheated my soup... even though I didn't eat anymore really.  It sure beats having to do it all alone, I'm pretty sick feeling today and he's at work so it's kinda crappy... oh well. 

Aside from that not much is new...

my pregnancy LIFESAVER

OMG this is my new lifesaver... whenever I feel nauseated I grab myself a milk box (perfectly portioned at 8oz) and I instantly feel better!  Not a bad price, $2.89 for 3 at Publix... definitely going to be more of a specialty than an everyday thing, might have to buy the big box and save these for when I'm around town or on the go.  Regardless though, I think they fill my nausea need -- Protein (8g), Sugars (27g) and of course... CHOCOLATE!

A little better...

Woke up today feeling a little better, I've realized I just have a fast metabolism with this baby... I can eat, eat and eat and never get full... I only gained .2lbs over night and boy did i eat last night! LoL... chocolate donuts, gardetto's, pickle potato chips, mac & cheese, fruit snacks -- but I eat in moderation so don't worry Mom! Plus I drink water like none other hahaha.

We went grocery shopping and I feel it was pretty successful, only spent $160 and saved $50... stocked up on a LOT of food (cereal, crackers, popcorn, gatorade, etc). I'm hoping we can hold off on shopping again until the 1st but who knows, I'll probably have to refill on eggs, butter, veggies... those necessities that go so quickly in our household.

Not much new with baby, just still waiting for our first appointment. My breasts have been more achey and my nausea comes & goes as it pleases, I've realized nothing really triggers it as far as food. I had strawberries & bananas this morning with apple juice & haven't eaten my Nature Valley granola bars yet... figure I'll eat those when I walk Cooper.

I'm hoping I can drag Ryan to Sears or Target to look at some baby stuff for fun, but I doubt it. It's a gorgeous day and who wants to be locked up inside all day? We got an e-mail back from Robert, our home sales agent who said the home probably wouldn't be Move-In ready until January... *booo* but oh well, at least it's still way in advance before the baby. And January is after the hustle & bustle of the holiday stress. I think I'll be spending most of November and December packing things that way when we get the keys we can move the same day... lots of little things to pack up, we were really surprised that we'd find a home this soon after moving here.

My parents come into town in 18 days I'm so excited! They are going to love this town as much as they don't think they will! Sure we got rednecks and wanna be gangsters and college kids, but it's a great town and everyone has a lot of respect and courtesy towards others, well in my opinion. Of course I pretty much stay in the new part of town, the old part is kinda... ghetto. :)

MS Blows

Morning sickness SUCKS. Okay I haven't been vomiting *knock on wood* but still... waking up STARVING (and i lost 1.2lbs!!!) and looking in the fridge to see nothing pleasing... only foods that make me gag... is not fun!

Hopefully grocery shopping today I'll be able to stock up on a bunch of organic, healthy, pregnancy friendly foods! I did buy $50 in Pregnancy Anti-Nausea stuff yesterday on drugstore.com lol.. whoops! Let's just hope they work... I got them for the Nascar race actually.

Cooper has been acting more & more like a baby... I can't eat my Ritz crackers without having to give him one each time too... he's gonna be a little porker soon.

Here's the nursery bedding & accessories set we picked out...

And the Crib / Furniture...

I really love how they're both very gender neutral...

Oh and names?

As of today:

Girl: Camryn Alexis
Boy: Cameron James

Six Weeks!

Well I've made it to six weeks... woke up with a migraine, nausea, hard belly, heartburn and an impatient dog. Sliced up an apple for breakfast (my latest obsession) and grabbed a cup of water... think I'll start eating every 2-3 hours so that I can try to prevent Morning Sickness. I haven't had any yet (knock on wood) and am hoping I don't... let's hope Mom's Gene's are good!!! :)

I've only gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks... I know I don't need to be gaining any but I did sorta slip off the tracks for a week while in shock... I'm now doing 30 minutes of pilates everyday and walking Cooper 4x a day, so that's some good exercises in my opinion. I told mom I'd only gain 30, 35 tops with pregnancy so the race is on... :)

Today I'm pretty bloated still I think... my stomach is hard but because I've been doing pilates I can't tell if it's from baby growing or muscles growing, or both. I'm so glad I don't have to go through this nausea stage while on vacation or anything... but I do hope it's gone by the time my folks visit in just under 3 weeks... I would hate to be sick during their visit :(

definitely autumn here!

Wow where did this crazy low weather come from? I swear this time last week it was 95... today it's 65! Brrr... the only perk of it has gotten me to work out more, to warm up my body temp! I got this great new dvd recently, 10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates it's my new favorite workout, for sure!!  It has 5 segments of 10 minute workouts and my favorite is the floor exercises with help of a nice cushy pillow!  I'm still eager to get my Yoga Booty Ballet: Baby On The Way dvd from Beachbody... I totally thought it was going to be here today but nope... jeesh!  Don't they know I'm an impatient pregnant woman.

Today my hips have been aching... it stinks. They're not quite painful and they aren't crampy, just... achey. Hopefully the pilates will relax them by this evening. I had hardly any sleep last night, I think I'll be in bed by 8pm. I went to bed at 8 with Ryan (we were both so tired) and nearly fell right to sleep... woke up at 3am WIDE FREAKIN AWAKE... so friggin crappy.

Oh and get this, today Ryan calls me at 7am asking if Progressive covers "keys locked in car" ...yep, he did it. Men... jeeze.

I've been working more on finding cute things for the nursery, of course it'll be so much easier once we're IN our house before buying anything... I'd hate for Ryan to have to move things twice :)

I'm thinking we'll leave the wall color the same, but I'm not set in stone. I also think a sage green would be super pretty, maybe I'll go to Lowe's or Home Depot and get color samples.

Cooper has been stressing me more than normal, not only is he super protective of me [ if I'm on the couch, he'll come up and put his paws on my belly ] but he's being verbally protective too, barking at EVERY single dog that walks by... aggressive barking. I can't take it....

Our Home is "Ordered" :)

So we got our home taken care of over the weekend, now we just have to wait while they construct it! I was surprised at how much we are getting for such a low price! As long as we are financed at less than 5.25% we'll be paying LESS (with property taxes, HOA & home insurance) than we pay RENT for right now!!! Yowzers. We were able to get a lot of things I wanted: full glass front door, 5pc master bath, double oven, shadowbox fence. Ryan got a lot of what he wanted: covered extended rear patio w/pre-wire for ceiling fan... which believe me wasn't a cheap little thing! LoL... we're really pleased, it was hard work designing our home but I know it'll turn out beautiful. We went with cherry cabinets in the kitchen with light counters and floors, paired with black appliances. All our lighting fixtures (well 99%) are the same style, our master bath & 2nd bath upstairs have 35" high counters in a birch-light brown color (they called it Fawn), 20" oval sinks, 4ft shower in the master with a garden tub... the 2nd bath has a smaller tub/shower (this will be great for kids)...

Overall I think it was a great experience and I can't wait til we can furnish those other rooms with baby furniture (and a "Mother In Law" suite) and get people to come over... I'm so glad we're on an end unit [ for now, it could change ] so we should get a lot of great sunlight & especially into our master bath...

I'm really excited for construction to be done so we can decorate the nursery... neutral "love birds" is the theme I chose. I thought it was a good theme for boy or girl, we can throw in more jungle animals for a boy too... I just really don't like pastel or primary colors... so I want to stick to bright, joyful fun colors.

scheduling!

Well I just got my results back from my OB office... I jumped from 872 on Monday to 1635 on Wednesday. This puts me right on track for being five weeks today! Wow... this is insane. I just booked my 10 week appointment (5 more to go!) for 11/4 at 7:30am I'm shaking with excitement. The OB office receptionist was so happy for me she just kept saying congratulations and how excited the office is for me... aww, it's like family!

I'm kinda nervous about going to the Nascar race now... maybe I'll just stay at the food stations, lol. I don't really want to inhale all those fumes but don't want to look funny with a face mask -- hmm, we'll have to rethink this Ryan!

Today I woke up to watermelons... okay not really, but I swear they have grown. They are just so swollen and sore, ouch. The warm shower made them feel a little better... and after having a small cup of 1/2 caff 1/2 decaf coffee I was more awake and less achey too.

2nd Beta Today

Today we have the 2nd round of our Beta (HCG) testing, we get the results tomorrow so we'll know if the numbers are going up or not... we WANT them to go up, that means this little bean is sticking! The numbers should double every 48-72 hours. Fingers crossed!!!

My symptoms have eased up a bit, thank God. I have been more hungry though, I eat breakfast at 7am and then am hungry by 9:30am... but the good thing is I've been craving relatively healthy foods - soup, salad, hot sandwiches. I'm assuming its just a salt craving though... hmm, old wives tales say salt = boys. I have been predicted (based on our age & month of conception) a boy too. Ryan thinks girl, I just have a gut instinct it's a boy. No worries though, we won't hold off on knowing the sex... we should find out in early December!!!

I have been more tired lately, I guess baby wears me out. We crawled into bed at 8pm last night -- I was asleep by 8:45, usually we don't go to sleep until 10pm! Needless to say I was wide awake at 6:30am with a full bladder... that's getting to be a little bit of a nuisance! :)

Everything else is so far so good... some mild white heads and pimples on my chin, I feel like I'm 14 again... and mood swings - WATCH OUT, I can attack at anytime! LOL

It's official... we're pregnant!!!

Just got off the phone with the nurse at my OB office a bit ago... she called to tell me that I am "indeed definitely pregnant" and that my "progesterone levels look very, very good".

HCG - 872
Progesterone - 18.3

I have my 2nd round of lab work tomorrow and should know those results Thursday afternoon... then can schedule my 10 week appointment (hello, ultrasound!) once I get confirmation that my levels are rising... woohoo!

I still have no idea how far along I am for sure, but I'm sticking with what I have... I am pretty sure Thursday the 29th will be 5 weeks for me!!

We are so blessed, happy, nervous, anxious and scared... :)

Labwork

So yesterday I went into my new OB's office to pick up my lab paperwork to get blood drawn. Wow, a very big and busy office... that's a good sign, right? Definitely a nice office and right next the hospital that's a major perk in case of emergency! I had my blood drawn yesterday and go in tomorrow for a 2nd draw so they can compare my levels. I'm eager because with my miscarriage my levels were both below 5 (aka Not Pregnant) so I'm curious to see how much they are jumping. I feel like I'm 5 weeks along, but I really have no clue, hopefully they can guesstimate it!!

Today has been pretty good, I woke up feeling really good (minus a bloated belly and I swear my breasts grew a cup size!!) Okay, maybe not really but it sure feels like it. I have only had one nausea/gagging moment since waking as of now... I had a cup of decaf green tea + honey and a Pillsbury Toaster Strudel for breakfast... yum. Last night we had soup & sandwiches, so I'll probably reheat that soon for lunch. It's so weird, for about the past week I've been craving lunch at 10-11am, whereas before I could skip lunch all together! I guess this little bean is causing me to be more hungry or something!

I'm going to start my Pilates DVD today, it'll help me become more flexible in time for labor and make those labor pains a little easier -- well, according to what others have been telling me!

I have little pinching pains down in my pelvic and hip areas -- I read this could be my uterus stretching, blahh!!!

I am creating a little registry on Diapers.com -- more so for my benefit than yours, so I can find things I like without writing it down and losing them! Plus this way it'll be nice and organized by the time I do need to let people know about our registry, baby showers, etc. I'm hoping I'll be able to go back home (Seattle) for a baby shower with family & friends before this bean is born but if not I can always do a registry by mail :) I'm excited to decorate babies room... I'm a girl, I look at baby stuff all the time! We have our nursery decor picked out, but that's the easy party... and it's an aqua blue so its gender neutral... but don't worry, I WILL FIND OUT THE SEX... I'm not that patient!

Blessing in disguise

Wow, I can't believe it... we're PREGNANT... again!!!  For those of you who don't know, we did conceive in August and found out through a home pregnancy test on August 16... unfortunately, we miscarried around August 26 and was confirmed on August 30 that I was no longer pregnant.

We were sad, but not devastated... as everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know why. We chugged along and knew our time would come some day.

On September 24th as I was drinking my small glass of wine I started feeling extremely sick and nauseated. All day I'd felt really weird and the day prior I was so sleepy, I just thought maybe I was catching the Flu that was circulating Ryan's work...

Just to ease my mind, I took a pregnancy test at 6:00pm. Immediately a pink line appeared, meaning I was pregnant. We rushed off to Walmart and picked up First Response & Clearblue Easy Digital Tests... I immediately took the FRER/First Response and got a faint, but there pink line... no mistaking it, I had to be pregnant! All night I kept thinking this was a dream. Since the miscarriage I didn't even have a period, how could this be? I'd read stories of how % of conceiving after a miscarriage is very high, but wow... this fast?

The next morning, September 25 I took another two pregnancy tests... this time the FRER again and then the Clearblue Easy Digital test (which reads out "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant"). The FRER was first... the line showed up much quicker this time. Then I did the CBE Digital... the test says to wait 3 minutes for results... no more than 1 minute had passed when it read "PREGNANT". Wow, Wow... I was in shock! I had taken this test so many times before and gotten "Not Pregnant"...

Reflecting on how I was feeling all week started to make so much sense... the extreme gagging, nausea/dizziness, fatigue, starving at 10-11am, eating more, drinking more water, using the bathroom more... the lingering tension headache. Of course, pregnancy symptoms!!!

As of now I believe my due date is June 2, 2011. Of course this could change since I really don't know how far along I am.

My symptoms range through the day and it's awful. It's comforting because clearly I know I'm pregnant but just awful... fatigue within 2-3 hours after waking, gagging, pimples like I'm 13 years old, dry skin, HUNGRY... man what do I have in me, twins? Triplets? jeesh... I'm eating like a fat kid lately... healthy, but like a fat kid.